June is National Outdoors Month. Here at MDA, we’re spending the next few weeks helping you have the best summer outdoors with posts that inspire you to get out in nature.
Today we are talking about how to train to carry a backpack. Let’s start with the most obvious question: what is a backpack? Backpacks are simply multi-day hikes where you carry all your belongings on your back.
Let’s say you’ll be hiking for the day, carrying water, food, and basic survival gear, but you return to your car the same day of departure. It’s not a backpack.
If you’re hiking cross-country, but someone else is packing you from bed to bed, it’s not a backpack either.
In a nutshell, backpacking is essentially a hike with more gear and more details to think about since you’ll be spending at least one night — but possibly more — camping. I think of backpacks as a kind of endurance sport. As with any endurance sport, you want to train for your event. You probably won’t enter a half-marathon next weekend with minimal or no training. Friend maybe, but it will hurt a lot less, and your chances of success will be significantly greater, if you take the time to practice. Same goes for backpacks.
The good news is, if you already have a solid fitness foundation, you are well on your way. Now you just need to tweak your training to get ready for your backpacking expedition. Details depend on how long you’ll be out there, how much weight you’ll carry, your current fitness level, and the type of terrain you’ll encounter. However, the general principles remain the same. You will need to prepare for:
- Time on your feet
- Carry weight
- Walking on uneven ground
- Climbing (up and down hills, stepping over logs, etc.)
Of course, lower body strength is key, but core strength, upper back and shoulders, ankle and hip strength as well as mobility, balance, and of course, stamina are also weak. important factor. Here’s how to get started.
Backpack Training: Getting Started
Let’s start with some general advice before moving on to some specific exercises you can use to prepare your body for the adventure ahead.
First and foremost, give yourself enough time to prepare. Plan a training that is commensurate with the needs of your trip. Experienced, healthy hikers can start a short one or two night outing with minimal training. If you’re mostly sedentary and planning a seven-night hike (point-to-point backpacking), you’ll need significantly more preparation time — months or more.
Don’t just focus on strength or endurance. I’ve said it before, but it still has to be repeated: proper training includes strength, endurance, mobility, and balance. Think stepping on a rock or fallen tree, crossing a river by jumping from one rock to another, walking uphill on loose slate. It’s a lot of balancing on one leg and keeping yourself upright as naturally and gravity conspires to pull you down. Single leg exercises, BOSU balls, swings, and the like can be invaluable training tools.
Do at least some of your training with the same equipment that you plan to use on your trip. Make sure your shoes don’t cause blisters and that your sports bra isn’t damaged. Take your backpack on shorter hikes.
Try to reproduce the environment you will encounter. You may not be able to do all of your outdoor training under the same conditions you will encounter on your adventure, especially if you are traveling to another part of the world. That’s okay, but do your best to anticipate the factors that are likely to influence your experience. If your trip will take you up the slopes, look for hills to work out or plan to do lots of steps at the gym. Need a workout for hot or cold weather? Height? Humidity? The more extreme the environment, the more important it is to prepare accordingly.
Consider yourself an athlete! It’s easy to get caught up in the search for the best ultralight gear, weighing the pros and cons of various tents and mattresses, but what matters most to you is the engine — you! (Part II of this series will talk more about equipment and other considerations.) Be sure to check fueling and hydration during your hiking workouts.
Exercises to get ready for backpacking
The following are some samples of exercises you can use to prepare for backpacking, but it is by no means an exhaustive list.
Walking, hiking, cycling
As a dedicated reader of Mark’s Daily Apple, I’m sure I don’t need to convince you that walking is a great thing, stop completely. Taking time for your feet is also one of the most important things you can do to prepare for your backpack. If you haven’t made an effort to cut back on sedentary work and incorporate regular exercise and walking throughout the day, now is the time to start!
You’ll also want to take a few nature hikes. Voila, now you are hiking! Carry a heavy pack, and you’re reeling. Cycling in the woods is great, but you can also pack a backpack to walk around the block or take your kids to school. (Mark is coming up with a dedicated article on auto repair.)
Gradually increase the time, distance, and weight you carry. Try to overcome different terrains — rock, sand, mud, flat, steep. These challenges your body in different ways and can be great for strengthening your feet and ankles.
Go super Primal while hiking: pick up logs and rocks along the trail, carry them for a while, then put them down. Check out the ideas here.
Primitive necessary movements
This is not just a shameless plug, I swear! Primal Essential Movements, along with variations, are the perfect choice to get you ready for your big backpack adventure.
Squats
After walking and hiking, the squat will probably be your biggest ally. Do as many — and as many variations — as you can. Combine weightlifting squats, resistance band squats, and squats, to name a few.
The split squat, where one foot is in front of the other in a slack position, also challenges your balance, so make these moves a priority. Better yet, do a Bulgarian squat with your back leg raised.
To challenge your balance even more, try a one-legged pistol squat or one or both foot squats on an unstable surface like the BOSU.
Push-ups and Pull-ups
Walking for hours with a heavy backpack is no joke. Your shoulders, chest, and upper back need to get the job done.
Working at the computer all day causes tense muscles, rounded shoulders, and forward-facing head posture (aka ancient art). Carrying a pack can exacerbate these problems. This post and this post provide some solutions.
Game
Core strength is important for balance and keeping your pelvis and spine in proper alignment. In addition to the traditional plank, do the side planks and exercises in this Primal At-Home Workout.
Let me put a plug here for Pilates. Not only is it great for core strength and mobility, but many of the moves target different muscles in the upper and lower body. For example, the butt ball is a classic pilates move that is super useful for backpackers.
Step
This is just what it sounds like: stepping on top of things. Step on the gym boxes or the stumps in your backyard. Climb the stairs or hit the stairs at the gym (just monitor your heart rate if you want to stay in the rhythm). For some intense work, try Mark’s favorite athlete, the runner.
When you’re ready to add some weight, wear a weighted backpack while stepping up for a great workout.
If your expedition involves serious elevation gain, you can use this handy stair elevation calculator to plan some exercises that approximate the feet/meters you need to traverse. .
Leap
Plyometric exercises are extremely effective and efficient for building strength and stamina, and they are great for the feet and ankles.
They may include:
- Box jumps when you use both feet to jump on an elevated platform
- Ski jump when you jump side to side (side) from foot to foot
- Burpees with a jump at the top
- Squat jumps where you land into a squat and explodes when you stand
Or any number of alternatives. These videos from Mark’s Apple Daily YouTube Channel provide lots of ideas:
Dance Exercises (Beginner)
Dance Exercises (Advanced)
15 Alternatives to Burpees
Deadlifts
There’s no better way to target the hamstrings. Make sure you use proper form to avoid straining your back. Leverage a variety of deadlift variations to make things interesting — Romanian, sumo, hex bar, warmbell — and include single-leg deadlifts to once again work on balance and foot and eye strength ankle.
Sprinting in the hills
Obviously we’re huge fans of sprinting around these parts. Uphill sprints have two distinct advantages to backpacking training: (1) lower risk of injury than regular (flat) sprints, and (2) more steep descents.
Ok, that’s more than enough to get you started. Chances are you already include some of these moves in your regular workouts, which means you have a good foundation to build on. I will end by mentioning ancestral resting places. They’re not exercises, but they complement your workout by building ankle and hip mobility, stretching and strengthening your lower body, and getting you out of the box. that chair, which your body doesn’t benefit from.
This is for today. Stay tuned for part II, where we talk about equipment and more. This post is your sign to get out today! And let us know in the comments where you would like to go hiking and backpacking.
Related Post from Mark’s Daily Apple
14 basic tips for better hiking
Keto on the Trail: What Food to Pack for Camping, Hiking, and Backpacking in Primal and Keto
Summer survival tips
Winter survival tips
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